Mobile Rescue Mission to hold Christmas banquet at new facilities

Sam Bradley, program manager at Mobile Rescue Mission, shows off the dining and chapel space Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, at the mission's new facilities under construction on N. Washington Avenue in downtown Mobile, Ala. (Carol McPhail/cmcphail@al.com)

MOBILE, Alabama – Although it hasn’t moved in yet, the Mobile Rescue Mission will hold its Great Christmas Banquet, for about 500 of Mobile’s homeless, at its new facilities on North Washington Avenue downtown.

Ham, sweet potato casserole, corn, green beans, rolls and dessert will greet guests Wednesday in the spacious dining area of the new brick building, located about five blocks from the faith-based mission's current campus.

“We’ll prepare all the food at the other location and deliver it here,” said Sam Bradley, program manager. With no appliances installed in the new kitchen yet, the mission will rent two box warmers to keep the meals hot.

The banquet begins at 11 a.m. and will include a short program and music. Bradley said that having Christmas there “is going to be a gift – truly a blessing.”

In its new location, the mission will be only a breezeway away from the new home of 15 Place, which provides an array of services for the homeless. Currently, 15 Place is located at 15 Saint Francis St.

The mission’s new facilities will include a large room that can be separated into kitchen/dining and chapel areas. One small wing will house a dorm and addiction recovery area. Another, with a separate entrance, will provide overnight accommodations for up to 135 homeless people. The mission plans to move in next month.

Located closer together, the two organizations can do more to help the homeless, he said.

“I see an increase in homelessness,” said Bradley, who has worked at the mission for 14 years. “We can say the reasons are ‘whatever,’ but there is an increase.”

The Mobile Rescue Mission is a ministry of Waterfront Rescue Mission, headquartered in Pensacola, Fla.